Friday, February 26, 2010

Quirks. Strange habits. Odd behaviors. We all have them. What are yours?

Me, I got 'em by the bushel, but here's one. I hate talking on the phone. Hate it. Hate making calls, hate answering the phone. I even hate it when the phone rings. I don't answer it. Drives my wife nuts. "Answer the phone!!!" Don't wanna. Not gonna.

Your turn. If you need inspiration, read some of the answers from the last time I asked the question.

LE SAINT-SULPICE HOTEL, MONTREALA pop star staying at this boutique hotel during the making of a movie insisted on drinking raw milk — straight from the cow — first thing every morning as part of her strict dietary. Concierge Patrick Huynh made regular trips in the middle of the night to a farm a couple of hours outside of the city in order to be back in time for the guest's breakfast. Huynh even opted to milk the cow himself — in his concierge suit.

SAGAMORE RESORT, LAKE GEORGE, NYSometimes a guest's requests are so outrageous they cannot be fulfilled, no matter how dedicated the concierge. At this Victorian-era resort a guest asked the concierge to promptly "send engineering to my room to change my fireplace from gas-burning to wood-burning." Another guest who was getting poor cellphone reception asked the concierge to have a cell tower installed at once.

RITZ-CARLTON, CANCUNA few years ago, a loyal (and extremely wealthy) guest of the hotel wanted to watch a film, privately, on the beach fronting the hotel. However, the guest did not like sand and asked the concierge to "cover it up somehow." A team was dispatched to Mexico City to buy a panoply of rugs that were carefully rolled out on the beach.

BROWN'S HOTEL, LONDONA celebrity once asked concierge Simon Thomas to choreograph a very elaborate transfer from her cruise ship to the hotel via helicopter. The star was very specific about what color and make the cars should be for meeting her and her entourage at the ship and then driving them 100 yards to a waiting helicopter.

PLAZA HOTEL, NYCChief concierge Raphael Pallais was asked by a guest to obtain a live batch of tarantulas for him to take home and enjoy -- roasted. Pallais reached out to the Explorers Club -- famous for its "exotic" animal dinners -- which, in turn, pointed him to the club's tarantula supplier.

PENINSULA HOTEL, BEVERLY HILLS, CAConcierge James Little once flew to London to retrieve the 14-year-old Jack Russell Terrier of a hotel guest who was temporarily living month-to-month at the Los Angeles hotel to take care of her late husband's affairs. Little spent one week (on the guest's dime) in London walking the dog daily to get to know him. On the flight home, the dog flew First Class and Little flew Business.

SETAI HOTEL, MIAMI, FLA guest visiting from the U.K. asked concierge Maite Foriasky to ship a tiger from Florida to London -- on two days' notice. The guest had fallen for a Florida woman and had asked her to return to London with him; she wouldn't move without her favorite pet. With the help of the Miami Metro Zoo, Foriasky was able to deliver.